Sink strainer and stopper assembly



May 3, 1955 A. J. HIERTZ SINK STRAINER AND STOPPER ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 30. 1953 INVENTOR. QRTHUR J. HIERTZ RTTORNEYS May 3, 1955 A. J. HIERTZ smx STRAINER AND STOPPER ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed. June 30. 1953 & u 5 m a Y we 2 Wm M 1H m J. WT P... R U N EW H United States Patent SlNK STRAINER AND STOPPER ASSEMBLY Arthur J. Hiertz, Mitford, Comm, assignor to Bridgeport Brass Company, Eridgeport, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application June 3%, 1953, Serial No. 365,073

2 Claims. (Cl. 4-287) This invention relates to a sink strainer and stopper assembly designed for installation in the standard drill hole of kitchen sinks and for other plumbing purposes whereits features make a useful device.

One of the objects is to provide a sink strainer and stopper assembly which may be made very inexpensively yet which will have all of the eflectiveness and convenience of more expensive constructions. Another object is to generally simplify the construction of this kind of plumbing device while at the same time providing a saleable product having not only the usual features but certain distinctive features of its own.

Specific examples of a sink strainer and stopper assembly made in accordance with the present invention is illustrated by theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device installed in the drill hole of a sink;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, and showing the stopper open;

Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2 excepting that it shows the stopper closed;

Fig. 4 shows a side elevation in section of a modification of the device in its assembled but unmounted form;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the stopper in closed position.

Referring to Figs. 1 through 3, the illustrated assembly includes a body having a flange It for engaging the sink 2 around its drill hole 3, and having a basket-receiving cylindrical well wall 4 depending vertically from the flange 1, and a bottom 5 in which is centrally formed an outlet 6 of substantially smaller diameter than the well wall. A plug seat 7 surrounds the outlet 6. The well wall 4 externally has screw threads 8 for the usual installing nut 9 which is used to install the device in the drill hole in conjunction with the gasket it The well wall 8 is formed with a plurality of circumferentially interspaced and inwardly projecting shapes 11 extending vertically respecting the well wall 4 from its top downwardly. These channel shapes 11 form for the well wall both inner ribs and outer grooves with the lat ter interrupting the continuity of the external threads. The channel shapes have tops 12 smoothly rounded towards the well wall and providing the ribs with rounded tops, as shown at 12.

A strainer basket is provided, this having a top flange 13 with an outer periphery substantially smaller in diameter than the inside diameter of the well wall 4, so the basket may drop freely into the latter, the diameter of this outer periphery being larger in diameter than the radial distances between the ribs formed by the channel shapes 11, so that the flange l3 rests on the rounded tops 12. Notches 14 are formed in the basket flange 13 from its outer periphery so as to clear the ribs when the notches 14 are registered therewith by rotation of the basket.

Depending vertically from the flange 13 the basket has a cylindrical perforated side wall 15, the outside of this side wall being spaced a substantial distance from the ire inside of the well wall 4. The basket has. a bottom Wall with a perforated peripheral portion 16 and a central portion 17.

A bail handle 18 is provided for the basket, .holes 19 being formed near the top of the basket wall 15 and the handle 18 having its opposite ends passed through these holes and projecting into the space between the well-and basket walls. The ends of the handle terminate substantially free from the well wall 4. Preferably the holes 19 are formed by punching the metal of the wall 15 inwardly so as to provide projections 20 surrounding each hole.

Both the body and the strainer basket are made from stamped and drawn sheet metal, preferably brass. The ball handle 18 may be a length of brass wire. Preferably the parts are chromium plated.

The stopper plug is provided simply by forming the bottom of the basket wall to make it form a fit with the plug seat 7. Thus no extra parts are needed.

Excepting for the stopper plug, the modification shown by Figs. 4 and 5 use parts corresponding to those described above and which are, therefore, correspondingly numeraled. The shapes are different but the construction and functions are similar.

in the modification the difference is in the plug stopper and its seat. instead of being formed from the metal of the bottom of the basket, the stopper plug is in the form of a separate piece i751 which is riveted to the bottom of the basket. The plug seat is in this case a ground surface 7a, the plug surface being correspondingly ground so that the respective surfaces interfit tightly.

in either case, the channel shapes 11 have the advantage of providing the ribs which cooperate with the hasket flange 13 while also forming external grooves providing the plumbers with a good hold while installing the device and manipulating the nut 9. Furthermore, the grooves interrupt the continuity of the nut threads so that if these threads become clogged, as by too liberal use of a joint sealing compound, there are spaces where this compound can. be pushed so that the nut itself can clear the threads.

The interspacing of the basket and body walls provides room into which the ends of the bail handle may extend thus permitting the use of this very inexpensive handle type installed in its normal manner.

Simplicity and low cost are further gained because the entire assembly is made from only the body, the basket, and handle, or three parts in all. The use of the modification involves only one more part. All of these parts may be made by stamping, punching and cupping operations so the manufacturing cost is kept low.

When installed and in use, the looseness of the basket in the body well has the big advantage that by turning the basket so that the notches 14'- only partly register with the rounded tops 12 of the ribs, the weight of the body plus the cam action between the rounded tops and the flange defining the notches 14, results in automatic rotation of the basket so as to effect full registration with consequent gravitational dropping of the body to its stopper plug closing position. This action eliminates the annoying need for the exact registration of the basket locking means required in the case of prior art devices of this type. Lifting and turning of the basket locks it in its open position. The bail handle is, of course, used to manipulate the basket and to remove it for dumping of its contents when necessary. It is to be understood that the basket is loosely positioned in the body and held there solely by gravity.

Due to the well wall being of larger diameter than the outlet it is possible to provide the perforated bottom portion in and thus obtain a better straining action. Since the basket and plug lift together during draining this perforated portion 16 is especially elfective because of the free space below its bottom.

I claim:

1. A sink plug assembly including a body having a substantially right angularly extending flange for engageing a sink around its drill hole and having a basket-receiving cylindrical well wall depending vertically from the flange and terminating in an inwardly extending bottom in which bottom there is a central outlet of substantially smaller diameter than the bottom and a plug seat surrounding the outlet, the well wall having external screw threads for an installing nut and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced and inwardly projecting ribs on the interior thereof, the ribs extending downwardly from adjacent the body flange toward the body bottom and thus forming in the well wall both basket-positioning inner ribs and outer grooves with the latter interrupting the continuity of the external threads, the upper ends of the ribs having opposite downwardly and outwardly extending curved cam surfaces on each side of the vertical center line thereof, a basket, the basket including an external top flange of slightly less diameter than the well wall and a depending side wall of less height and diameter than the cylindrical well wall and an inwardly extend ing perforated bottom wall portion and an imperforate plug for the plug seat connected to the underside of the bottom wall portion centrally thereof, said imperforate plug being circular and having an integral downwardly extending inwardly tapered flange, the top flange of the basket being substantially at right angles to the side wall and larger in diameter than the radial distances between the ribs, the basket flange having spaced notches to receive said ribs therein, portions of the flange immediately adjacent either side of the notches when engaged by the cam surfaces on the ribs resulting in an automatic clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation of the entire basket and thereby automatically registering the notches with the ribs and allowing the basket to drop into the body and seat the imperforate plug on the plug seat, and means secured to the basket for manually manipulating the same.

2. A sink plug assembly including a body having a substantially right angularly extending flange for engaging a sink around its drill hole and having a basket-receiving cylindrical well wall depending vertically from the flange and terminating in an inwardly extending bottom in which bottom there is a central outlet of substantially smaller diameter than the bottom and a plug scat surrounding the outlet, the well wall having external screw threads for an installing nut and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced and inwardly projecting ribs on the interior thereof, the ribs extending downwardly from adjacent the body flange toward the body bottom and thus forming in the well wall both basket-positioning inner ribs and outer grooves with the latter interrupting the continuity of the external threads, the upper ends of the ribs having opposite downwardly and outwardly extending curved cam surfaces on each side of the vertical center line thereof, a basket, the basket including an external top flange of slightly less diameter than the well wall and a depending side wall of less height and diameter than the cylindrical well wall and an inwardly extending perforated bottom wall portion and an imperforate plug means centrally located at the bottom exterior of the basket and extending downwardly therefrom, the top flange of the basket being substantially at right angles to the side wall and larger in diameter than the radial distances between the ribs, the basket flange having spaced notches to receive said ribs therein, portions of the flange immediately adjacent either side of the notches when engaged by the cam surfaces on the ribs resulting in an automatic clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation of the entire basket and thereby automatically registering the notches with the ribs and allowing the basket to drop into the body and seat the plug means on the plug seat and with the inwardly extending bottom wall of the basket being disposed in close overlying relationship with the inwardly extending bottom of the body, and means secured to the basket for manually manipulating the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

